On the recordMarch 2, 2011
In the coming years the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will have to find $2 billion additional to pay for ObamaCare's mandated Medicaid increases. There is little flexibility in State budgets this year, and Pennsylvania, like many States, will have to make up a significant budget gap this year. The entire State budget is only $29 billion. Adding $2 billion more means significant cuts in services or significant tax increases. Pennsylvania is not alone. According to a new report released yesterday, this expansion will cost States $118 billion additional. That is twice what was just recently estimated by CBO. We want to provide good health care, but we also want to educate our children, keep citizens safe, and maintain our rails and roads. Our State governments must be more than just health care providers. We must provide governors with the flexibility to determine the needs of their States. Under ObamaCare, Medicaid is more rigid and more expensive, and an even greater burden on States struggling to balance their budgets.
